


Promises, Promises

by justbygrace



Category: Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Angst, Child Abuse, F/M, References to Suicide
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-04-09
Updated: 2014-04-09
Packaged: 2018-01-18 18:55:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,017
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1439167
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/justbygrace/pseuds/justbygrace
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>WARNING: THIS DEALS WITH THEMES OF CHILD ABUSE, SELF-HARM, & ATTEMPTED SUICIDE.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Promises, Promises

**Author's Note:**

> I in no way, shape, or form believe that Jackie or Pete would ever be abusive towards Rose. I wrote this for my own reasons for my own life issues.

She is four and you are six and she follows you around because she claims you are big enough to chase off the monsters. Even at your tender age you know that she isn't talking about the typical under-the-bed type and you let her tag along even when the other neighborhood kids tease you. You lay flat on your back next to her on the concrete balcony, both of you straining to hear the sounds of approaching angry footsteps, and you tell her everything you remember about your love for the constellations.

"You're going to show me all the stars, right?" she begs, eyes wide and focused on your every move.

And you promise.

~~~

She is eight and you are ten and she struggles to hide the damning evidence on her own body, not yet old enough to have learned the saving grace of concealer. The turmoil of her family is common gossip around the Estate, but she holds her head high and her neck becomes stiffer with each passing day. The other kids waffle between criticism of her unkempt appearance and their innate sympathy for a child in distress; adults pat you on the head when you come to her defense time and time again. You walk her home from school, slowly, taking the back way so it takes as much time as possible. You hold her hand and tell her about the new countries you are learning about in class. 

"You're going to take me with you to all of them, right?" she asks, gripping your hand so tight you can feel the individual indentations of her fingernails.

And you promise.

~~~

She is twelve and you are fourteen and she has learned too young the allure of her body and she flaunts it more and more with each passing day. You are not as immune as your lofty comments would suggest, but you defend her honor in the locker room after school nearly every single day. She pretends she's fine and tosses her head and smirks at the boys and is sent home to change at least once a day. At night she sneaks out to see you, asking unanswerable questions that keep you awake nearly as much as the screams and crashes from her flat. You tug her close and tell her about the deep-sea diving records that have been set recently; it is far easier than trying to explain hits and kicks and vicious words and the fact that every adult on the Estate knows what is going on.

"You're going to get your diving license so we can go, right?" she demands, tears she never lets anyone but you see rolling down her cheeks.

And you promise.

~~~

She is sixteen and you are eighteen and she spends all of her free time with a boy named Jimmy Stones that you loathe with a vicious hatred. You know she is not happy, but she pretends to be and gets mad when you try to come near her. You bite your tongue and try to concentrate on getting into a good University, not on the fact she is rapidly losing weight or the ring of scars you caught sight of on her wrist. She calls you after midnight one night, sobbing down the line, and you pick her up on the street corner. There is blood on her forehead and a bruise around her left eye and as you press ice to her face, you desperately wish you weren't so used to this scenario. You convince her to spend the night and you curl up on the couch with her, marathoning old sci-fi shows and telling her everywhere you would go if you had a time machine.

"You'd take me with you if you had one, right?" she whispers and your heart shatters some more because she has never sounded quite so unsure of herself.

And you promise.

~~~

She is twenty and and you are twenty-two and she tries to end her life. You get a call from your sister in the middle of a final exam hundreds of miles away and you run out of class, unable to care about such mundane concepts as Physics. You speed the whole way and show up to hear that she overdosed and they had to pump her stomach. A lot of things come to light at the hospital and she is transferred to the psych unit where she is kept under twenty-four a day suicide watch. You visit every chance you get and when she is finally released you are there at the gates, arms open wide. You fix her up in your sister's spare bedroom before driving across town, ringing her parent's doorbell, and punching her father square in the jaw. You never tell her you did it, but it makes you feel better. You come home from school as often as possible that summer, taking her for long drives and telling her about the new space shuttle to the moon.

"You're going to go there with me someday, right?" she wants to know, twisting her hands together in her lap and staring fixedly out the window.

And you promise.

~~~

She is twenty-four and you are twenty-six and she travels with you to Spain for vacation. It has been a difficult few years for her, but she has a flat and a good job and is taking courses in her spare time. She has relapses, days when she is angry and lashes out, nights when she cries herself to sleep, but she is a fighter and is more determined than anyone else you know. As you wander the streets of Barcelona you hold her hand with the accustomed familiarity of two decades of friendship, but she suddenly stops in the middle of the road and kisses you. You are startled, but enthusiastic. Afterwards you stare at her, questioning, confused, ecstatic, and she smiles, gently, worriedly, happily back at you.

"You're going to stay with me forever, right?" she questions, staring up at you with a concern she has no need to feel.

And you promise.


End file.
